Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

A few days ago, Prince Kang's smuggling via the Grand Canal caught Xiao Lie's attention, and he sent his men to investigate. They discovered that a portion of the silver obtained from these transactions had been sent to the front lines.

Sixteen was completely baffled. "The front lines are short of money and supplies, why is Prince Kang being so kind?"

Xiao Lie tapped his head lightly. "Now that His Majesty is in power, it's none of his business to worry about money and supplies. Why don't you ask him where the supplies he's reselling are coming from?"

Sixteen stared in disbelief. "Your Highness, do you mean... Prince Kang is colluding with the soldiers at the front lines to resell supplies and make money?"

"Your Highness is colluding with border generals, which is a grave taboo for emperors. If there were no vested interests involved, why would Prince Kang take such a great risk to transfer silver?"

The most reasonable explanation is that Prince Kang was not funding the front lines at all, but rather sharing the spoils with certain people on the front lines.

Sixteen was furious. "The border soldiers risk their lives to protect their country, while these parasites only know how to embezzle money and grain and share the spoils. This is truly hateful."

"Your Highness, why don't we report this matter directly to the Emperor? If the Emperor finds out, he will certainly not let Prince Kang and the others off the hook."

"No, how could a playboy like me worry about matters of state and know things that even the emperor doesn't? This would surely arouse the emperor's suspicion and might cause some unnecessary trouble."

Sixteen grew anxious, "Your Highness, are we just going to leave this like this?"

"Of course not. We must take care of this matter, but we cannot leave the house. Besides, this is a handle on Prince Kang, so we must make good use of it."

Xiao Lie went through the whole matter in his mind, several threads intertwining, finally clearing his mind for a moment. The northern border was short of money and food, and the northern barbarians had already gathered to launch a strong attack on the Great Xia border. If this news reached the capital before exposing the matter of Prince Kang's resale of supplies, it would cause the greatest stir. In this way, he might be able to use public opinion in the court to force the emperor to provide money and food.

He rubbed his temples. "This can't be rushed. I need to make good use of it..."

Two days later, news that the Northern Barbarians had gathered and intended to attack caused a great uproar in the imperial court.

The two factions, the pro-war and the pro-peace faction, argued endlessly. The pro-war faction believed that the northern barbarians would not submit unless they were defeated, and that only by annihilating them could the prestige of the Great Xia Dynasty be restored and future troubles be eliminated forever.

The pro-peace faction, on the other hand, felt that several places had suffered natural disasters this year, and if they were to fight, it would definitely put a huge economic burden on the court, making life even harder for the common people. In any case, those barbarians were only harassing the area in autumn and winter to steal food to get through the winter, so it would be better to give them some money and food to appease them and allow the entire Xia territory to recuperate.

The two factions argued back and forth without reaching a conclusion, so they could only ask His Majesty to make a decision.

The emperor had long been dissatisfied with the northern barbarians who would provoke trouble every autumn and winter, and immediately spoke up.

"Simply seeking peace will only fuel the arrogance of those northern barbarians. If we seek peace this year, what about next year, and the year after? Does our Great Xia have to seek peace every year? Where will that leave our prestige? If the surrounding barbarians hear of this, won't they all follow suit?"

"By my decree, the Ministry of Revenue is to allocate one month's worth of funds and provisions to launch a resounding counterattack in the northern border and crush the arrogance of those barbarians!"

The emperor seemed to support the northern border, but then he issued another decree, transferring 50,000 elite troops from the north back to defend the border and fortifying the checkpoints along the way from the north to the capital.

To outsiders, it might seem like there's no big problem, but anyone with even a little military knowledge would know that most of these 500,000 troops are just a rabble. They fight with swords in times of war and are busy farming in their spare time. Their fighting strength is no match for real elite soldiers. Most of them are just tenant farmers who know a little about swords and spears.

The main force of the Northern Army consists of only 100,000 elite troops, and now the emperor has ordered the removal of half of them.

"Does the emperor want to win or not?"

Xiao Lie sneered, "He wants to win, but he doesn't want the Xiao family to become too powerful, so he came up with this desperate measure."

"If Grandfather wins, it will certainly be a difficult battle with many losses. If Grandfather loses, the Emperor will definitely issue an edict to reprimand him and strip him of his military power."

When the news of Xiao Shuai leading an army of 450,000 but still being defeated by the Northern Barbarians reaches back, it will surely cause a shock throughout the court and the public. At that time, the prestige of the Xiao family will be hard to maintain, and their situation will become extremely difficult.

Sixteen grew anxious, "Your Highness, are we just going to stand by and watch?"

"Of course we can't just sit here and wait to die. How to fight a good war and deal with the emperor is my grandfather's problem. We can't do anything about it no matter how much we worry about it. What we need to solve is the logistics problem."

Entrusting him with the responsibility of procuring military provisions was an incredibly difficult task, but now that military intelligence has been relayed back to the court, things are different.

He could not only openly raise military supplies, but also gain a good reputation. Even if the emperor was wary of the Xiao family, he had to swallow his suspicions and forcefully praise the Xiao family for their loyalty and bravery in the face of national interests.

Two days later, a grand auction was held on the Yan River.

With Gu Mingheng and Lin Yu's connections among the scions of aristocratic families, and the Fifth Prince and his Consort Shu acting as matchmakers, the auction attracted a huge number of attendees. From the wives of high-ranking officials to the sons of noble families, almost seventy or eighty percent of the powerful and influential families in the capital were present.

Of course, this is not because Xiao Lie has a lot of influence.

Now that His Majesty values ​​the situation in the northern border, and with Consort Shu acting as a go-between, these noble families naturally assume that the auction was orchestrated by the Emperor. Whether it's to enhance their own reputation or to impress His Majesty, none of them are inactive.

"This jade hairpin was Princess Zhaoyang's prized possession. It was crafted from the finest mutton-fat jade, pure white and flawless, with a lustrous sheen, and inlaid with tourmaline and rubies in gold wire..."

Lin Yu stood in the center of the ship's lobby, talking non-stop. The items passed through her hands and were described by her, which made many people eager to grab them.

Xiao Lie and Prince Jing sat behind the screen, watching this scene, and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

Xiao Lie cupped his hands and said, "Now that Your Highness is willing to personally step forward to resolve His Majesty's worries, His Majesty will surely be gratified. At that time, when compared with Prince Kang, His Majesty will surely understand who is right and who is wrong."

This is exactly what Prince Jing wants. Otherwise, why would a prince like him go to such lengths to co-organize this charity auction with Xiao Lie, whom he dislikes? All he wants is a reputation for virtue.

Prince Jing looked over leisurely, his expression meaningful. "But this matter was initiated by you. I merely lent a little credit for assisting you. How could I presume to take credit for it? There's no need to mention this matter. It is our duty as your subjects to share the burdens of our father."